Sword Offering

In a secret realm, Zhao Xingzhou accidentally glimpses the Way of Heaven and learns that if he cultivates the sword path, he must sacrifice himself to Heaven. But he refuses to believe in fate and intends to defy it. Xie Haisheng, Kunlun’s greatest swordsman, has taken only two disciples in his life. The three sword cultivators of their sect are each more conspicuous than the last. Some say they have advanced so rapidly because they collude with the demon realm and practice a shortcut that is utterly immoral. No one knows where the rumors began. Jealous people fan the flames, and before long, the slander has spread everywhere. When the righteous factions surround them and demand answers, not one of the three masters and disciples steps forward to explain. When talks fail, they draw their swords and fight. At the very instant Zhao Xingzhou strikes, he breaks through to the Deity Transformation stage and surges straight toward the Great Ascension stage. No one has ever reached Great Ascension in a mere two hundred years. When the news gets out, the world is in an uproar. At the crucial moment of his breakthrough, Zhao Xingzhou’s mind and spirit are in disarray. His cultivation spirals out of control, leaving him unable to protect himself. To keep him safe, his master refuses to leave the territory he has claimed and nearly dies fighting. His junior brother is overwhelmed, grievously wounded, and captured. At the end of his rope, Zhao Xingzhou looks at the line of text in his palm. He is not one to resign himself to fate. He acts as his heart dictates. Heaven demands that he sacrifice himself, but he refuses. Yet if sacrificing himself will save the people dearest to him, then so be it. Who would have thought that his sacrifice would summon the greatest sword beneath Heaven? From then on, no one below the Ascension realm could stand against him. -- Protagonist is the pursuer, powerful leads, Zhao Xingzhou x Chen Shiyi An unbothered pursuer who couldn’t care less what anyone thinks and focuses on defying fate x an arrogant, desireless pursued who turns dark after being provoked Content warning: Those who favor the pursuer may be left speechless, those who favor the pursued may be moved to tears, and fans who want equal treatment for both probably won’t like it either. I take a very freewheeling approach to the romance. Feel free to discuss things in the comments, just don’t fight! Many thanks! Theme: Life is like rowing upstream: you either forge ahead or fall behind!